TT volleyballer Jack-Kisal safe in Turkey

FOLLOWING A milestone season, TT`s volleyballer Sinead Jack-Kisal and her husband Murat Han arrived safely in Turkey on Tuesday amidst the covid19 pandemic as her efforts to return home from her club in Japan didn’t go as planned.

“When a decision was made, we heard that TT`s border was closed, we couldn’t fight it and Han is Turkish so we were then concerned that they were closing the borders for non-nationals,” said Jack-Kisal. “We explained to my club the situation and they were really understanding about it so they allowed me to leave and (on Thursday) I found out that the tournament we were supposed to have in May got cancelled.”

Jack-Kisal added, “Most places are closed in Turkey, they are trying to get the situation under control. Persons that are 65 years and over are not allowed outside. As of now, we are self-quarantined so everything is ok.”

Playing for Denso Airybees in the recently completed V-League, Jack-Kisal said, “We finished fourth and I got two awards, best spiker and named on the ‘Best Six’ as one of the middle blockers. We didn’t really accomplish our goals but our team improved a lot from last season.”

Denso Airybees completed the round-robin stage of the league in top position, accumulating 51 points with 18 victories and three losses from their 21 matches. However, in the semi-final they were defeated by Okayama Seagulls 26-24, 25-14, 19-25, 13-25, 15-7.

In the bronze medal match, Ageo won in straight sets 25-22, 25-22, 25-20.

The eloquent middle blocker added, “I dedicate this award to my teammate and staff because it showed rewards for all the hard-work that was put in throughout the time I have been there. Early morning sessions, late night sessions; the loads of sacrifice from my teammates and staff.”

She continued, “Getting the award was really an amazing feeling, I have never gotten a best spiker award before; for a middle blocker it is really difficult to achieve because other positions get more balls during the match.”

Despite being only 26 years old, she has been on the circuit for a decade representing AZS Białystok, Poland (2010-2013); VC Uralochka-NTMK, Russia (2013-2016) and Galatasaray, Turkey (2016-2018).

Commenting on playing in one of the top leagues in the world, she said, “Playing in Japan for the last two years enhanced my skill level such as the dig, attack, block and my services improved a lot. Also, my vision, seeing the spacing on the court is a big plus for me, that way I can see the open spaces to attack on the court.”